Sam Heller | سام هيلر
@abujamajem.com
Researcher and analyst looking at Lebanon, Syria and the wider neighborhood. Century International Fellow. Former Crisis Group. "Jamajem" means ☠️.
www.abujamajem.com
www.abujamajem.com
Pinned
Lebanon and Syria’s Detainee Dilemma
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December was “like being released from prison,” Khalid said. Khalid, a young father from the town of
tcf.org
My latest for @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: On why it's difficult for Lebanon and Syria to strike a deal to repatriate Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, and what that says about the two countries' relationship going forward: tcf.org/content/comm...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
This week Lebanon's deputy PM met with Syrian counterparts in Damascus; they discussed, among other issues, Syrian detainees in Lebanon:
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
Lebanon and Syria’s Detainee Dilemma
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December was “like being released from prison,” Khalid said. Khalid, a young father from the town of
tcf.org
November 22, 2025 at 6:15 PM
This week Lebanon's deputy PM met with Syrian counterparts in Damascus; they discussed, among other issues, Syrian detainees in Lebanon:
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
@haidhaid22.bsky.social for Al-Majalla on how the Syrian government's over-optimistic narratives about investment and recovery are a missed opportunity to build trust with a Syrian public whose circumstances remain austere and difficult: en.majalla.com/node/328351/...
Syria's obstacles to investment are many
Ambition is key to recovery, but so is realism about the road ahead. Lingering sanctions, legal ambiguity, poor transparency, and weak institutions continue to deter serious investment.
en.majalla.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM
@haidhaid22.bsky.social for Al-Majalla on how the Syrian government's over-optimistic narratives about investment and recovery are a missed opportunity to build trust with a Syrian public whose circumstances remain austere and difficult: en.majalla.com/node/328351/...
In video from occupied southern Syria, Israeli ambassador to U.S. says that, post-October 7, Israel will no longer accept "foreign armies" on its border – highlights how Israel refuses to acknowledge the sovereignty of its regional neighbors. x.com/yechielleite...
November 23, 2025 at 3:42 PM
In video from occupied southern Syria, Israeli ambassador to U.S. says that, post-October 7, Israel will no longer accept "foreign armies" on its border – highlights how Israel refuses to acknowledge the sovereignty of its regional neighbors. x.com/yechielleite...
New bop youtu.be/gDb91xKfa4E
Thank you The Kibitz @connorgoldsmith.bsky.social @jordanblok.bsky.social
Thank you The Kibitz @connorgoldsmith.bsky.social @jordanblok.bsky.social
Ice Spice - Big Guy from ("The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants”)
YouTube video by Ice Spice
youtu.be
November 23, 2025 at 2:13 AM
New bop youtu.be/gDb91xKfa4E
Thank you The Kibitz @connorgoldsmith.bsky.social @jordanblok.bsky.social
Thank you The Kibitz @connorgoldsmith.bsky.social @jordanblok.bsky.social
@washingtonpost.com team on Israeli settler marauders now loose in the West Bank: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Israeli figures warn state has ‘lost control’ as West Bank settlers attack
A former general and an Israeli opposition leader both blamed the government for helping foster what they described as “Jewish terrorism.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:28 PM
@washingtonpost.com team on Israeli settler marauders now loose in the West Bank: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
@thenationalnews.com' Nada Homsi reports from the western Homs countryside, where she talks to Syrians who returned from Lebanon to a Quseir suburb that was basically erased: www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
'Living like refugees': Syrians returning from Lebanon find little respite among ruins | The National
The National visited a district of Homs where people are trying to rebuild their lives and destroyed homes
www.thenationalnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:04 PM
@thenationalnews.com' Nada Homsi reports from the western Homs countryside, where she talks to Syrians who returned from Lebanon to a Quseir suburb that was basically erased: www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
This week Lebanon's deputy PM met with Syrian counterparts in Damascus; they discussed, among other issues, Syrian detainees in Lebanon:
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
Lebanon and Syria’s Detainee Dilemma
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December was “like being released from prison,” Khalid said. Khalid, a young father from the town of
tcf.org
November 22, 2025 at 6:15 PM
This week Lebanon's deputy PM met with Syrian counterparts in Damascus; they discussed, among other issues, Syrian detainees in Lebanon:
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
sana.sy/presidency/2...
sana.sy/politics/233...
I wrote for @centuryintl.bsky.social on why the issue is so difficult to resolve: tcf.org/content/comm...
In this 2023 @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social report, I wrote about how Lebanon's dependence on foreign assistance – including for its army – had compromised Lebanese sovereignty: tcf.org/content/repo...
November 22, 2025 at 6:02 PM
In this 2023 @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social report, I wrote about how Lebanon's dependence on foreign assistance – including for its army – had compromised Lebanese sovereignty: tcf.org/content/repo...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
DoD now using the name 'Northern Landing Zone' for the Qasrak/Jabal Ghul base in NW al-Hasakah. Reports that US presence has largely consolidated to three bases in al-Hasakah: NLZ, Rumeilan Landing Zone (RLZ), and Patrol Base al-Shaddadi (PBS)
www.dvidshub.net/image/940506...
36.706242, 40.511955
www.dvidshub.net/image/940506...
36.706242, 40.511955
November 22, 2025 at 11:55 AM
DoD now using the name 'Northern Landing Zone' for the Qasrak/Jabal Ghul base in NW al-Hasakah. Reports that US presence has largely consolidated to three bases in al-Hasakah: NLZ, Rumeilan Landing Zone (RLZ), and Patrol Base al-Shaddadi (PBS)
www.dvidshub.net/image/940506...
36.706242, 40.511955
www.dvidshub.net/image/940506...
36.706242, 40.511955
The medal is one reason I think people trying to figure out exactly which decade/s the movie takes place in are missing the point a little bit; it’s an alternate America that’s even 🇺🇸 more 🇺🇸 America 🇺🇸
(Also, watched again, still rips)
(Also, watched again, still rips)
Saw "One Battle After Another" earlier this week and can't stop thinking about its "Bedford Forrest Medal of Honor" vision of America and state power
November 22, 2025 at 4:19 AM
The medal is one reason I think people trying to figure out exactly which decade/s the movie takes place in are missing the point a little bit; it’s an alternate America that’s even 🇺🇸 more 🇺🇸 America 🇺🇸
(Also, watched again, still rips)
(Also, watched again, still rips)
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
And for a double-dose of Debbie Downer, food costs for Thanksgiving dinner have jumped 10 percent since last year. In particular, spiral hams have gone up nearly 50 percent!!
tcf.org/content/comm...
tcf.org/content/comm...
A Pricier Plate: Thanksgiving Costs Climb Nearly 10% This Year
As families across the country prepare to carve turkey and watch football, new analysis from Groundwork Collaborative, The Century Foundation, and AFT
tcf.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:57 PM
And for a double-dose of Debbie Downer, food costs for Thanksgiving dinner have jumped 10 percent since last year. In particular, spiral hams have gone up nearly 50 percent!!
tcf.org/content/comm...
tcf.org/content/comm...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
ICYMI: My colleagues have run the numbers on rising heat and electric costs going into this winter, and it's not pretty. What's especially troubling is that many households are borrowing money to pay their utility bill, and many more have those debts in collection.
tcf.org/content/comm...
tcf.org/content/comm...
Fueling Debt: How Rising Utility Costs Are Overwhelming American Families
As temperatures cool and Americans’ dissatisfaction with the economy grows, families across the country are staring down a winter season that will be more
tcf.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:54 PM
ICYMI: My colleagues have run the numbers on rising heat and electric costs going into this winter, and it's not pretty. What's especially troubling is that many households are borrowing money to pay their utility bill, and many more have those debts in collection.
tcf.org/content/comm...
tcf.org/content/comm...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Q: Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?
MAMDANI: I've spoken about--
TRUMP: That's okay. You can just say yes. I don't mind.
MAMDANI: I've spoken about--
TRUMP: That's okay. You can just say yes. I don't mind.
November 21, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Q: Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?
MAMDANI: I've spoken about--
TRUMP: That's okay. You can just say yes. I don't mind.
MAMDANI: I've spoken about--
TRUMP: That's okay. You can just say yes. I don't mind.
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
It rocks that the online voice of the US government is "computer-damaged reactionary virgin."
November 21, 2025 at 4:16 PM
It rocks that the online voice of the US government is "computer-damaged reactionary virgin."
I think WINEP is probably more pernicious than FDD, mainly because FDD is understood to more straightforwardly partisan, whereas WINEP cultivates figures from both major parties and enlists them in its pro-Israel project.
Under Biden, General Erik Kurilla was closer to Israel than almost anyone else in government.
Under Trump, he delivered on Israeli + US hardliners' dream of joint US-Isr attacks on Iran.
Now he's joining the hawkish Washington Institute for Near East Policy to continue shaping US discourse & choices
Under Trump, he delivered on Israeli + US hardliners' dream of joint US-Isr attacks on Iran.
Now he's joining the hawkish Washington Institute for Near East Policy to continue shaping US discourse & choices
November 21, 2025 at 4:44 PM
I think WINEP is probably more pernicious than FDD, mainly because FDD is understood to more straightforwardly partisan, whereas WINEP cultivates figures from both major parties and enlists them in its pro-Israel project.
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
My latest for @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: On why it's difficult for Lebanon and Syria to strike a deal to repatriate Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, and what that says about the two countries' relationship going forward: tcf.org/content/comm...
Lebanon and Syria’s Detainee Dilemma
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December was “like being released from prison,” Khalid said. Khalid, a young father from the town of
tcf.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
My latest for @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: On why it's difficult for Lebanon and Syria to strike a deal to repatriate Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, and what that says about the two countries' relationship going forward: tcf.org/content/comm...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Larry Summers’s co-teacher at Harvard:
“We will miss his insights and his wisdom”
Student:
“NO WE WON’T”
dude pretends he doesn’t hear, then intros Tony Blair lmao
“We will miss his insights and his wisdom”
Student:
“NO WE WON’T”
dude pretends he doesn’t hear, then intros Tony Blair lmao
November 21, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Larry Summers’s co-teacher at Harvard:
“We will miss his insights and his wisdom”
Student:
“NO WE WON’T”
dude pretends he doesn’t hear, then intros Tony Blair lmao
“We will miss his insights and his wisdom”
Student:
“NO WE WON’T”
dude pretends he doesn’t hear, then intros Tony Blair lmao
Ghada Abdulfattah and @sparksriley.bsky.social for @newhumanitarian.bsky.social on the ways Israel continues to throttle aid to Gaza, even post-ceasefire: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/feature/2025...
Hobbled by obstruction and uncertainty: Gaza’s post-ceasefire aid response
Palestinians still face extreme deprivation as Israel continues to restrict humanitarian activities amid international jockeying over the future.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
November 21, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Ghada Abdulfattah and @sparksriley.bsky.social for @newhumanitarian.bsky.social on the ways Israel continues to throttle aid to Gaza, even post-ceasefire: www.thenewhumanitarian.org/feature/2025...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
In an interview today, Netanyahu says the following
•There will never be a Palestinian state, even if this means no normalization with Saudi Arabia
•Israel won't leave the occupied Syrian territories
•Israel would like a deal with Turkey but is prepared to treat it like Iran
•There will never be a Palestinian state, even if this means no normalization with Saudi Arabia
•Israel won't leave the occupied Syrian territories
•Israel would like a deal with Turkey but is prepared to treat it like Iran
Netanyahu: ‘There will not be a Palestinian state,’ even at cost of ties with Saudis
In interview with Telegram channel, PM says border deal with Syria 'preferable' but won't budge on security demands; Israel to boost arms industry to ease reliance on US
www.timesofisrael.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:11 PM
In an interview today, Netanyahu says the following
•There will never be a Palestinian state, even if this means no normalization with Saudi Arabia
•Israel won't leave the occupied Syrian territories
•Israel would like a deal with Turkey but is prepared to treat it like Iran
•There will never be a Palestinian state, even if this means no normalization with Saudi Arabia
•Israel won't leave the occupied Syrian territories
•Israel would like a deal with Turkey but is prepared to treat it like Iran
@afp.com's Layal Abou Rahal and @aciltab.bsky.social on how the U.S. is now punishing the Lebanese army for not doing enough to disarm Hizbullah at Israel's behest: www.rfi.fr/en/middle-ea...
Lebanese army feeling US, Israeli heat over Hezbollah disarmament
Israeli and US pressure on Lebanon's army to speedily disarm militant group Hezbollah is intensifying, with the army chief cancelling a visit to Washington after officials snubbed him, a military offi...
www.rfi.fr
November 20, 2025 at 11:01 PM
@afp.com's Layal Abou Rahal and @aciltab.bsky.social on how the U.S. is now punishing the Lebanese army for not doing enough to disarm Hizbullah at Israel's behest: www.rfi.fr/en/middle-ea...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Political prisoner or terrorist? The question lies at the heart of the latest diplomatic challenge between Lebanon and Syria, as the latter tries to repatriate thousands of its nationals held in Lebanese prisons. (1/3)
Lebanon and Syria’s Detainee Dilemma
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Political prisoner or terrorist? The question lies at the heart of the latest diplomatic challenge between Lebanon and Syria, as the latter tries to repatriate thousands of its nationals held in Lebanese prisons. (1/3)
My latest for @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: On why it's difficult for Lebanon and Syria to strike a deal to repatriate Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, and what that says about the two countries' relationship going forward: tcf.org/content/comm...
Lebanon and Syria’s Detainee Dilemma
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December was “like being released from prison,” Khalid said. Khalid, a young father from the town of
tcf.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
My latest for @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: On why it's difficult for Lebanon and Syria to strike a deal to repatriate Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, and what that says about the two countries' relationship going forward: tcf.org/content/comm...
L'Orient-Le Jour/Today reports that Israeli strike on Ain al-Hilweh camp yesterday killed more than a dozen teens playing soccer: today.lorientlejour.com/article/1485...
'They killed kids': Ain al-Hilweh in shock after Israeli strikes killed 14 youths
Ain al-Hilweh faces shock after Israeli strikes kill 14 youths playing football. Palestinian factions condemn the event as a
today.lorientlejour.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:31 PM
L'Orient-Le Jour/Today reports that Israeli strike on Ain al-Hilweh camp yesterday killed more than a dozen teens playing soccer: today.lorientlejour.com/article/1485...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
I'm struck by this clip of former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz saying Holocaust education has backfired in part because people Palestinians as victims: "They think the lesson of the Holocaust is…you fight the big powerful people hurting the weak people."
www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfCons...
www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfCons...
From the JewsOfConscience community on Reddit: Former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz speaking to the Jewish Federation and lamenting that young people are learning the wrong lessons from Holocaust e...
Explore this post and more from the JewsOfConscience community
www.reddit.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:24 PM
I'm struck by this clip of former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz saying Holocaust education has backfired in part because people Palestinians as victims: "They think the lesson of the Holocaust is…you fight the big powerful people hurting the weak people."
www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfCons...
www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfCons...
Key findings from REACH @unhcr.org whole of Syria IDP intentions survey (conducted in September): repository.impact-initiatives.org/document/imp...
repository.impact-initiatives.org
November 15, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Key findings from REACH @unhcr.org whole of Syria IDP intentions survey (conducted in September): repository.impact-initiatives.org/document/imp...